DC Theater Demographics: The 2016-17 Season

This year’s analysis of the 2016-17 DC theater season covers playwright and director demographics and the production status of the plays that have been programmed. Completed in collaboration with DC-based theater artist Olivia Haller, the analysis covers plays that opened between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2017. The results below represent the final calculation for the 2016-17 season. The data set includes 188 productions at 48 theaters, all of which are listed below.

Playwright Demographics: Gender

Of the plays slated to be produced in DC during the 2016-17 season, 67.52% were written by men, 31.95% by women, and .53% by authors who do not use binary gender identifications. This represents a backslide from the previous season, which included the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival in DC. For the sake of comparison, here are the numbers from the previous four seasons:

2016-17: 67.52% men, 31.95% women, .53% non-binary gender identities

2015-16: 61% men, 39% women

2014-15: 71% men, 29% women

2013-14: 74% men, 26% women

2012-13: 79% men, 21% women

Playwright Demographics: Diversity

The breakdown of the playwrights whose plays are slated to be produced in DC during the 2016-17 season is as follows: 85.04% are white, 8.87% are African American, 3.71% are Latinx, 1.59% are Asian American, and 0.66% are Arab American. Again, this represents a significant backslide in diversity from the previous two seasons:

2016-17: 14.96% playwrights of color

2015-16: 19% playwrights of color

2014-15: 18% playwrights of color

2013-14: 15% playwrights of color

2012-13: 14% playwrights of color

Playwright Demographics: Geography

Finally, of the playwrights whose plays are being produced in DC in the 2016-17 season, 8.70% are residents of the DC metropolitan area. In 2015-16, the number was 17%; in 2014-15, the number was 16%; in 2013-14, the number was 13%; and in 2012-13, the number was 16%. Local culture has seen a major reduction in the current season.

Director Demographics: Gender

Of the plays being produced in DC during the 2016-17 season, 61.56% are being directed by men and 38.44% by women. This represents a noticeable increase in gender parity over the previous three seasons:

2016-17: 61.56% men, 38.44% women

2015-16: 66% men, 33% women, 1% non-binary genders

2014-15: 66% men, 34% women

2013-14: 67% men, 33% women

Director Demographics: Diversity

The breakdown of the directors in the 2016-17 season is as follows: 87.85% are white; 8.56% are African American; 2.49% are Latinx; and 1.10% are Asian American. These numbers represent a modest increase in diversity among directors:

2016-17: 12.15% directors of color

2015-16: 15% directors of color

2014-15: 13% directors of color

2013-14: 13% directors of color

Director Demographics: Geography

Finally, of the directors included in the 2016-17 season, 71.82% are residents of the DC metropolitan area. In the 2015-16 season, that number was 67%; in the 2014-15 season, the number was 72%; and in the 2013-14 season, the number was 75%. These numbers suggest only modest fluctuation across the previous four years.

Production Data

Of the plays being produced in DC in the 2016-17 season: 18.62% will be having their world premieres; 9.58% will be having their second or third productions; and of the remaining plays, 54.26% were written by living playwrights and 17.54% by dead playwrights.

Another way to consider the same data points: in the 2016-17 season, 28.20% of the plays appearing on DC stages are new, if we define “new” plays as those receiving their first, second, or third productions. (This is, very roughly speaking, the widely-accepted definition used by the National New Play Network.) In the 2015-16 season, that number was 43%; in the 2014-15 season, that number was 27%; and in 2013-14, that number was 21%. The significant increase between the 2014-15 season and the 2015-16 season was probably the result, in part, of the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival, which included only world premiere productions. This season’s numbers reflect a return to more typical percentages during a non-Festival season.

At the same time, a full 82.46% of the plays being produced in the 2016-17 season were written by living playwrights. In the 2015-16 season, that number was 86%; in the 2014-15 season, that number was 78%; and in the 2013-14 season, that number was 77%. The data indicate that while the current season may contain fewer world premieres, they have not been replaced in the DC theater season by plays authored by dead playwrights.